The first product to come out of ex-Apple executive Tony Fadell's startup Nest, the Nest Learning Thermostat, has reportedly been quietly pulled from shelves at a number of brick-and-mortar Apple Stores for unknown reasons.

While it cannot be officially confirmed that Apple Stores have stopped selling the Nest thermostat altogether, AppleInsider contacted a random sampling of outlets and found that each had taken down its in-store display units.

Some employees, who wished to remain anonymous, said that they had been told to pull the item while others simply stated that they were out of stock. One location confirmed that the device was on site but had been locked away in a storage room for reasons unknown. The same store said it received no instructions beyond those to take the Nest off the sales floor.

At the time of this report the unit was still in stock and ready to ship on Apple's online store but curiously it was not available for in-store pickup. An Apple Store employee corroborated this information though had no further insight into the matter.

It is unclear why the thermostat was removed from the Apple Store, but a representative at a nearby location of Nest sales partner Lowe's said the big-box home improvement store received a new shipment on Thursday and plans to stock them on shelves within four to five days.

The brainchild of Tony Fadell, also known as the "grandfather of the iPod," the $250 Nest Learning Thermostat uses sensors and an on-board CPU to efficiently control temperatures according to a variety of environmental factors. Users can also control the unit with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, all iPad models, and the third- and fourth-generation iPod touch.

The Nest is currently being sold under the "iPod accessories" category on Apple's online store and is listed as an "app-enabled accessory."

It cannot be because there is anything wrong with the Nest as such. I don't know how we ever lived without one, we love it. Maybe it is a just a stock issue but if it has been pulled perhaps it simply isn't a good fit. It is a home improvement product first and foremost and maybe Lowes is a better place for it. It is the easiest thing to install imaginable but we have to remember half the populations have an IQ of <100 and maybe there could be support issues not related the technology itself. You do have to remove the old one and deal with wires, spackel and paint not to mention a screw driver.

From Apple ][ - to new Mac Pro I've owned them all.Long on AAPL so biased"Google doesn't sell you anything, Google just sells you!"

It's a home improvement product for sure. But it's also controllable via iOS devices.
The Nest would be a lot more visible in a tiny Apple store... than in a giant home improvement warehouse.
Plus... shoppers in an Apple Store would probably have more of an understanding about the whole iOS part of it. (though I'm not saying anything bad about the shoppers of Lowes)
I think it should be sold in both places... and I believe it will be a devastating blow if they can't sell them in Apple Stores anymore.

I agree but I was just offering a possible guess as to why, if it has been removed. That being that Apple might be getting calls about the wiring or wall repairs. As I said it is a wonderful device, a dream come true in fact. I want every household device I have like this and I hope the Nest guys have other products up their sleeves.

By the way it isn't lost at our Lowes, they have a large dedicated area for Nest complete with a demo and video monitor and a large graphical display. You can't miss it. It is the most visible product in the entire store. This stand alone area is dead center in the store too.

From Apple ][ - to new Mac Pro I've owned them all.Long on AAPL so biased"Google doesn't sell you anything, Google just sells you!"

I agree but I was just offering a possible guess as to why, if it has been removed. That being that Apple might be getting calls about the wiring or wall repairs. As I said it is a wonderful device, a dream come true in fact. I want every household device I have like this and I hope the Nest guys have other products up their sleeves.
By the way it isn't lost at our Lowes, they have a large dedicated area for Nest complete with a demo and video monitor and a large graphical display. You can't miss it. It is the most visible product in the entire store. This stand alone area is dead center in the store too.

It cannot be because there is anything wrong with the Nest as such. I don't know how we ever lived without one, we love it. Maybe it is a just a stock issue but if it has been pulled perhaps it simply isn't a good fit. It is a home improvement product first and foremost and maybe Lowes is a better place for it. It is the easiest thing to install imaginable but we have to remember half the populations have an IQ of <100 and maybe there could be support issues not related the technology itself. You do have to remove the old one and deal with wires, spackel and paint not to mention a screw driver.

Purchased a Nest thermostat but had to return it because I couldn't get it to work properly with my building's HVAC system. It would either blow hot air or lukewarm air but never cold, even after changing the wiring five times per the advice of their phone support team. The product is slick and comes with clear instructions and great phone support, but it just didn't work for me, and I live in a 3 year old building so it's not a matter of dealing with outdated technology.

Perhaps the Nest isn't as widely compatible as originally thought and Apple had to take it off the shelves after receiving complaints? I always wondered if the limited availability of the Nest enabled the company to keep complaints out of the public eye...

Purchased a Nest thermostat but had to return it because I couldn't get it to work properly with my building's HVAC system. It would either blow hot air or lukewarm air but never cold, even after changing the wiring five times per the advice of their phone support team. The product is slick and comes with clear instructions and great phone support, but it just didn't work for me, and I live in a 3 year old building so it's not a matter of dealing with outdated technology.

This was one of the many reasons I've seen in reading reviews online from various sources why the Nest is an iffy purchase. It seems to have some bugs (either with the device or the user themself) that need to be worked out despite its ease of install and use.

Well I love domotics but a $250 thermostat is just a ridiculous price to start with...

It depends on the outcome. I have two Nests handling the upstairs and downstairs zones of the house. At the rate I'm calculating our monthly energy savings, the two units will pay for themselves easily in 14 months of use and it might happen in 12. This is ahead of the 18 months I originally calculated when we bought them.

It depends on the outcome. I have two Nests handling the upstairs and downstairs zones of the house. At the rate I'm calculating our monthly energy savings, the two units will pay for themselves easily in 14 months of use and it might happen in 12. This is ahead of the 18 months I originally calculated when we bought them.

After all, every little thing that happens is important news and is an indication that Apple has no future. Removing the Nest Thermostats is just the first step of removing everything from the shelves at Apple Stores. They probably need all that space for the Genius bar since Apple products are such crap and fail all the time.

/s

"I'm way over my head when it comes to technical issues like this"Gatorguy 5/31/13

You don't need an app to use the thermostat. If you are worried about that, I assume you must not be using WiFi in your life or cell phones.

Sorry a $250 thermostat? No matter how "cool" it's still a programmable thermostat. My top of the line wired thermo controls fans, heat, cooling programmable for each of seven days? I mean, come on now. Is this a real product with a real need excepting those that need a non-Apple Apple product?

If I was going to guess, I imagine it has to do with the standard return policy in the stores, and how they could even begin to test the device upon return. It is a great product IMO (I have two of them). But it would be very difficult for the in-store staff (geniuses) to deal with the plethora of installation related questions. Think of how difficult it would be just to train the floor staff how to answer basic questions about the device. The questionnaire and installation instructions on the nest.com website are vastly superior. No disrespect to anyone, but HVAC is not what they are there to do.

I was a bit suprised hearing it would be available in the Apple stores. It probably detracted from the "retail experience"

If I was going to guess, I imagine it has to do with the standard return policy in the stores, and how they could even begin to test the device upon return. It is a great product IMO (I have two of them). But it would be very difficult for the in-store staff (geniuses) to deal with the plethora of installation related questions. Think of how difficult it would be just to train the floor staff how to answer basic questions about the device. The questionnaire and installation instructions on the nest.com website are vastly superior. No disrespect to anyone, but HVAC is not what they are there to do.

I was a bit suprised hearing it would be available in the Apple stores. It probably detracted from the "retail experience"

Good point.

Just curious... do Apple geniuses have to answer questions about other non-Apple stuff?

Apple Stores carry all sorts of speaker docks and other gadgets and gizmos.

This was one of the many reasons I've seen in reading reviews online from various sources why the Nest is an iffy purchase. It seems to have some bugs (either with the device or the user themself) that need to be worked out despite its ease of install and use.

I assure you three were no bugs with the user in my case. ;-)

I even emailed the support rep pictures of how my old thermostat was wired vs how I had wired the Nest. it was setup precisely according to their instructions. They lead me to flip some of the wires claiming that sometimes contractors use the wrong color wire. Didn't help.

And I know I didn't have a defective unit, because I had the opportunity to test two more units. This is because actually ordered several with the intention of selling the extra units on ebay for a nice profit (since these were on backorder at the time and were selling for a premium on ebay.)

I sense that these are effortless to set up for HVAC systems that are compatible, but that Nest has failed to identify certain configurations that aren't compatible with either their hardware, software or both - at least as currently designed.

Unless I was a one out of a thousand exception, I would think they'd want to send out technicians to investigate some of these incompatible setups, so they could learn from these and improve their product...

BTW, I would never call this an "iffy purchase". Nest's customer service was impeccable, available after normal hours, and they graciously refunded both my purchase and shipping costs in full.